Stories and Histories

Iranian Plateau is a land of archetypal historical events. This region is full of cultural diversity. Since the history of these cultures has transferred vocally from generation to generation in the form of stories.  Consequently, the stories of these people are historical records that can take us back thousands of years. The oldest mythological stories of the Iranian Plateau is collected in a book called Shahnameh (book of kings). Although the source and antiquity of the stories are unknown, this amazing masterpiece was collected and turned to poetry by Ferdowsi in the 11th century. As discussed above,  written literature is rare in all regions of the Iranian Plateau.  Still, the existing pieces of literature  are mainly in Persian language. Poets, such as Mowlana Mohammad Jalal-Al-Din Balkhi (Rumi), Sa’di, Shahab-Al-Din Yahya Sohrevardi, Ab-al-qasem Ferdowsi, and many others were all living between the 11th to the 16th century.  These poets left collections of books and stories with  dramatic value, which are rarely depicted by contemporary artists.